74 



medical schools of France and England. In London, he fol- 

 lowed the instructions of the elder Cline and of Sir Astley 

 Cooper, with the last of whom there grew up a friendly acquaint- 

 ance, which continued until the death of the great English sur- 

 geon. In Paris, he became a pupil and an inmate in the family 

 of the celebrated Dubois, and attended to the instructions of 

 Dupuytren, Avho was then just commencing his distinguished 

 career, and to the teachings of Chaussier, who as an anatomist 

 had acquired a world-wide reputation. On returning to his native 

 country, he entered at once ardently into the pursuits of his pro- 

 fession, and it is in the professional career that we should follow 

 him if we would form the more complete estimate of his life and 

 character. It was this that called forth his greatest devotion, and 

 brought him most in contact with his medical brethren and the 

 world ; but I must be brief. 



By incessant labor, by the exercise of a strong will, which 

 few could resist, by unwearied attention to all the minuter details 

 of his calling, he became the most distinguished of New England 

 surgeons, and attained to a high reputation both at home and 

 abroad. He was bold but cautious, and never allowed himself 

 to meet his case unprepared. Those who have seen him in the 

 theatre, going through the task of a serious operation so steadily 

 and so easily, have probably thought but little of the hours of 

 preparation that preceded it. He handled the knife gracefully 

 and skilfully, especially in operations connected with deep-seated 

 parts, which require a good knowledge of surgical anatomy and 

 accurate dissection. These, more than all others, try the firm- 

 ness and self-reliance of the surgeon, and in these he excelled. 

 One of the originators, and for many years a surgeon of the 

 Massachusetts General Hospital, its wards and theatre have 

 witnessed the rigid performance of every duty, and have become 

 the surgical centre of attraction for a large portion of New 

 England. Many societies, domestic and foreign, enrolled his 

 name in their lists. As President of the Massachusetts Medical 

 Society, he received the highest honor in the gift of the profession 

 of his native State, and a few years before his death he received 

 the high distinction of foreign membership of the Imperial Acad- 

 emy of Medicine in Paris. 



In 1806, he was appointed adjunct Hersey Professor of Anat- 



